Ottawa to host 2017 Canadian Video game Awards

Ottawa – Mayor Jim Watson announced today in an online video that Ottawa will host the Canadian Videogame Awards in 2017.

“As Canada’s most-wired city, Ottawa is an ideal place to host the Canadian Videogame Awards,” said Mayor Watson. “In conjunction with the awards the City will also host a videogame championship. We will even project semi-final and final matches onto the exterior walls of several buildings in the city, making this an exciting addition to the growing list of programming for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations. For the computer industry, and gamers everywhere, Ottawa will be the place to be in 2017.”

Ottawa is currently home to 23 videogame companies and Canada is the third-largest producer of videogames in the world. The worldwide videogame market was worth an estimated $93 billion in 2013.

“This event is solid evidence of an excellent partnership that exists between the City of Ottawa and the local tourism players,” said Noel Buckley, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “We are proud supporter of the Awards and look forward to many more high profile events as we ramp our efforts for the big year in 2017”.

The 2017 Canadian Videogame Awards gala will generate up to one million dollars in local economic benefits. The associated videogame championship ‎is expected to bring many more visitors and consequently additional economic benefit. These events will also increase Ottawa’s international profile as a destination for innovative talent.

The 2017 Canadian Videogame Awards have been brought to the City through the Bid More, Win More, Host More program, which is attracting world-class events to Ottawa as a means of promoting economic prosperity and growth. As a central component of the City’s Economic Development Strategy, the combination of bids won and events hosted has resulted in close to $42 million for Ottawa’s economy. Future events that have been confirmed, including the Brier and FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada, will result in up to an additional $37 million in local economic benefits.